The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy) (23 page)

Restlyn's
eyes narrowed. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know."

"I'm
sure Skye's told you. Tag and Kou are my brothers by blood," Ashlyn said,
yanking out a pair of black shorts. She bunched the clothes together, only a
little uncomfortable at having Restlyn watch her. "The line is no longer
pure. The tattoo holds no significance except for the disgrace of my
family."

"So
you removed the tattoo, and with it all reminders of your father's
indiscretions." Restlyn's face was sad, sympathetic. Ashlyn hated how
understanding she could be.

"Nothing
could make me forget," she said, hobbling back into the bathroom and
putting a hand on the doorknob, "but I haven't been Li for a long time,
anyway. This changes nothing, except for the shame my father has brought to his
people."

"They're
your people, too," Restlyn said gently, "And mine. Whether we want to
admit it or not."

"I
need to change," Ashlyn said. "Toryn
is
under attack, you
know."

Restlyn
sighed and stepped aside so Ashlyn could close the door. "I'll bandage
your ankle before we leave," she said. "You don't want to get any mud
in that gash before the healer looks at it."

Ashlyn
quickly peeled off the wet kimono and hung it on the back of the door, hoping
it would air-dry before she needed it again, and reluctantly pulled on the
clothes she'd dug up. Everything was, of course, much too small, the bindings
cutting unattractively across her breasts, her shorts stretched tight over her
hips. She finger-combed her hair into a messy ponytail at the back of her head,
picked up her shoes and pulled open the door again.

"Sit,"
Restlyn said, pointing at a mat in the corner. Ashlyn sat, and the older girl
made quick work of a makeshift bandage over the wounded ankle, securing it
tightly in place before Ashlyn pulled her sneakers on.

They
slid the door shut behind them, and Ashlyn made her way towards the front
gates, noting immediately that there were no sounds of battle, no clashing of
swords or hissing of magic. The rain had not let up, however, and she knew from
experience that the noise of war could be lost even in a faint drizzle.

As she
strode across the grass, Restlyn beside her, Ashlyn couldn't help but notice
that Toryn warriors were everywhere- against the walls, patrolling the bridges.
Most of them were clustered together around Kou, who was standing on top of a
large boulder, speaking. His words were indistinguishable from the surrounding
noise. Ashlyn stopped in front of him and caught his gaze, feeling every eye in
the city turn on her when Kou stepped down and came towards her.

She
swallowed the words that sprang to her tongue when she saw Kou, forced her
hatred into a manageable position at the back of her mind. Toryn came first.
Personal vendettas could be settled later.

"My
Lady," he said, stopping in front of her and inclining his head slightly.
"We are under attack."

"So
I'm told," Ashlyn said dryly. "Have you brought in the people from
outside the gates?"

"I
have, yes. They are…in your father's home, as you requested." His eyes
asked her not to argue, at least not now. "I ask that you would allow me
to escort you to the crow's nest atop the walls, Lady, so that we may better
see our enemy."

He was
trying to get her away from the rest of the troops, probably so that he could
explain whatever was happening. Smart guy, she thought begrudgingly, and
followed him to the shoddy wooden stairs that led them to the tops of the walls
surrounding Toryn.

She
glanced over at the soldiers as she climbed, trying to seem casual about it,
and a hundred pairs of eyes stared back at her. Oh yeah, real casual. Among
them she picked out Restlyn and Vargo. She didn't know where everyone else was,
or even if anyone else had come. Would Drake have healed enough in the past few
days to travel all the way to Toryn? It seemed doubtful, but he did have
superhuman healing powers.

She
ascended the last few steps and moved up next to Kou, who was staring out at
the hills and plains surrounding the city, and beyond that, the craggy
mountains that made up part of the island.

"What's
the story?" she asked, careful to keep her voice low and level.

"They're
out there," he answered, not facing her. "You won't be able to see
them, but I know they're out there."

"Who?"

"The
army who follows the man I spoke of earlier."

It took
her a few seconds of digging around in her not-so-clear memory to realize what
he was talking about. "The man with the other
shift
stanes?"

"Yes."

"Great."
She blew out a breath. "And they're going to attack, right?"

"Yes."

"How
is it that you know they're out there and I can't even see them?"

"The
effects of the
shift
magic don't
completely abandon their master," he said, tapping a finger to his temple.
"I can sense them."

"I
should try that out," Ashlyn said ruefully.

He
glanced at her. "We need to speak somewhere, Ashlyn. Privately."

"Okay."
Not back at her house- she hadn't emptied the bathwater and she didn't want to
have to explain that, although Tag would probably blurt it all out to Kou soon
anyway. Not at her father's house, either, because the refugees were stowed
there, safely beyond the reach of this army that Kou was so afraid of. "Is
it something that'll upset me?"

"Yes."

She
really didn't feel up to this. "Can it wait?" she asked hopefully.

"No."

Darn.
"Enough with the cryptic answers, already," she grumbled. "I'd
rather you just tell me here, and I promise I'll do my best to hold it
together."

"We
could return to your home-"

"Just
tell
me!" Ashlyn snapped, throwing her hands up. "I'm so sick
of secrets and lies. A week ago, Kou, I thought Devlyn was the enemy. I thought
he was waging war against the rest of the world, and my friends were trying to
fight him off. Then I meet you, and I find out
you're
Devlyn, which you
still haven't completely explained to me, and suddenly everything's all
hunky-dory and you're not my enemy, even though you attacked January Harbor and
lied to me and almost killed one of my best friends, and even though Toryn
ninjas have been trying to kill me for the past year. Oh, and one more thing-
you just so happen to be my half-brother!"

She
took a deep breath, staring into his sharp black eyes. "So whatever you're
about to throw at me now, just tell me and get it over with, because I'm tired
of lies. I'm tired of games. And if this whole twisted web doesn't get sorted
out soon, I'm going to start beating it out of people, starting with you."

His
eyes narrowed at the threat, but Ashlyn wasn’t about to apologize. She still
didn’t trust Kou entirely, not with the attacks over the last seven months, and
she wasn’t going to pretend that she did.

"Fine,"
he said finally. "I told you that the
shift
stanes began to control the evolved generations of Angels. What I didn't
tell you is that
shift
does not
simply control its user's actions; it eventually completely incapacitates the
user's mind." He raised his chin slightly, looking as if he'd much rather
be talking about something else, but continued, "The more you use the
magic, the less human you become. The more
insane
you become.

"The
man out there, who wields the magic, is beyond help- at least as far as I can
determine," he told her. "I've tried and tried to reason with him,
but he is intent on taking over Toryn- and the rest of Kresmir."

"So
we kill him. Kill him, destroy the stanes, go back to our happy little…"
Ashlyn trailed off, puzzle pieces suddenly clicking together in her head. Kou
was making a big deal out of telling her who this mysterious shape-shifter guy
was.

Obviously
he thought it was going to upset her quite a bit.

Who…?

The
last piece fell into place.

Oh, no.

Oh,
no.

"Oh,"
she said glumly. "I think I know what you're going to tell me."

Kou wet
his lips. "I know you've been through a lot in the past week. He was the
one who ordered an attack on January Harbor. I did everything he asked. I
killed the ambassador from January. I don’t know if he sent anyone to kill you,
but I wouldn’t doubt it. People follow him- I followed him. He's my
father
,
and…I couldn't…I couldn't defy him…at first. Later, I tried to stop him,
Ashlyn-"

"No
one could ever stop my father from doing what he wanted," she said, her
voice flat. Her stomach lurched. "I think I'm going to be sick," she
muttered, clutching at the railing in front of her. She couldn't look weak in
front of the soldiers. She couldn't.

"I
wish there was an easier way to tell you this," Kou said, standing stiffly
beside her, as if he didn't know what to do with himself.

"Don't
worry about it," Ashlyn ground out, hanging onto the railing like it was
the only thing keeping her upright. "I'm fine. I'm fine." If only she
could make herself believe it.

"We
could capture him," Kou suggested. "See if there's any way to
rehabilitate him from this…sickness."

"Right,"
Ashlyn said faintly. The sudden meaning of his words hit her. There were so
many questions to be answered, and yet right now all she could think was that
she might never see her father as himself- as her dad- ever again.

I
can handle this,
she thought.
I’m stronger than this
.

"You
are Lady Li," Kou murmured, touching a hand to her shoulder. "I have
done my best to lead the kingdom of Toryn in your stead, but now it is your
time. They will trust you to defeat this new enemy. They will follow you to
death, if that is what you ask."

"That's
a little melodramatic, don't you think?" Ashlyn said, shaking her head.
"I think…I think what you just suggested sounds a hell of a lot easier
than the Leadership Duel I was counting on."

He
didn't answer, and she cleared her throat. "Where are the rest of my
friends?"

"I
believe they're in Heaven," Kou said. He dropped his hand from his
shoulder. "You should speak with them and decide your strategy. I will
keep watch."

"Thank
you," Ashlyn said. She turned and made her way slowly down the rickety
stairs, each time moving her foot to the next step slowly and deliberately, as
if it took a great effort just to descend.

Restlyn
met her at the bottom. "Are you all right?" she asked, concern
showing in her sweet copper eyes.

Ashlyn
looked out at the hundreds of Toryn soldiers still staring at her. They were
unwavering in their stalwart observance; she couldn't even see if any of them
were blinking. No familiar faces were in the crowds. She didn't recognize
anyone. Had all her friends gone with her father?

"Ash?"
Restlyn prompted, touching her hand where it lay on the railing.

Achieving
leadership had been the plan all along. Ashlyn couldn't bear to think of
herself as Li. The house was broken, the bloodline impure, and the blood
soaking through her sock was proof enough that she no longer carried the mark.
She would defeat her father's army and find someone else to lead Toryn.

Ashlyn
took a deep breath.

"Yes,"
she said, meeting Restlyn's eyes. "I'm fine."

Chapter 13

The Bridge is Crossed

Ashlyn walked
across the bridge and made her way briskly towards the Heaven tavern, careful
not to limp and trying to ignore the hundreds of pairs of eyes boring into her
back as she did. In the three years since she’d left Toryn, she’d forgotten
what it was like for everyone to know your name, for everyone to be following
your every move. She hadn’t missed it.

She
took a deep breath, trying to clear her head as she stopped in front of the
huge double doors marking the entrance to Heaven. Restlyn stopped just in front
of her, one hand poised to push the doors open. "Are you going
inside?"

"Oh
yeah," Ashlyn said. "But maybe you could-" She broke off as
Vargo appeared beside her, raggedly stylish in his suit jacket. His clothes
were rumpled, the half-buttoned dress shirt underneath his jacket revealing a
wrinkled t-shirt that had seen better days. Meeting her gaze evenly, he flipped
open a lighter and lit his cigarette, not breaking eye contact.

She
suddenly remembered that the last time she'd seen Vargo alone, she'd kissed
him. And knocked him unconscious immediately following. Of course, she hadn't
exactly thought
that
whole development through before she'd acted, and
she certainly hadn't expected to have to explain herself.

Mental note: only kiss and knock unconscious
men that you will never ever have to see again.

"You
go on in, Restlyn," Ashlyn said, giving the other girl a slight smile.
"I'll be there in just a second."